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Bits N Pieces Puppet Theatre

Bits ‘N Pieces Puppet Theatre features unique giant puppets and traditional small forms presented in a variety of school settings and venues. The Nine-Foot-Tall puppets are unforgettable. The traditional figures bring joy to your heart. They are excellent for in-school performances or a great school field trip at PuppetWorld Playhouse. Programs available for the 2019-20 include “Jack and the Beanstalk”, “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Princess Thimbelina”, “The Selfish Giant’s Garden” and “Hansel and Gretel”. All these promise the excitement on stage we deliver at every performance. Bits N Pieces Puppet Theatre celebrates childhood adventure, encourages reading, and supports state teaching objectives. Arts in Education! We provide a multipage Classroom Guide helping students focus on the objectives that meet education standards. Prepare, watch the show, and discuss. Compare different versions of a story. See characters’ development through action on stage. Challenge the students to create their own stories with follow-up activities. Bits ‘N Pieces Puppet Theatre is Tampa Bay’s Longest Running Children’s Theatre. Founded in 1972 the company has received the Arts Council of Hillsborough County’s Arts In Education Award, Florida Theatre Conference Distinguished Career Award, Atlanta Regional Cultural Olympiad Award and toured to ten countries. Bits N Pieces Puppet Theatre receives the support of the Arts Council of Hillsborough County, Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners, State of Florida/Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. Together we enrich the lives of children today and brighten the world of tomorrow.

Cracker Country

Cracker Country is Tampa’s only living history museum and is located on the Florida State Fairgrounds. The museum holds a collection of 13 original buildings dating from 1870-1912 which were relocated from across the state of Florida. Our buildings range from public buildings like our Terry Store and Okahumpka Train Depot, to private buildings like our Carlton and Smith homes. Today, the historically furnished buildings recreate the lifestyles of the past, and costumed interpreters portray daily living as Florida pioneers. Cracker Country focuses on providing educational opportunities for the public to learn about old Florida.

Florida Aquarium

Go from tree level to sea level while being entertained and educated at The Florida Aquarium! With more than 20,000 animals including sharks, alligators, seahorses and more, you’re sure to have an amazing aquatic experience. Since 1995, The Florida Aquarium has been opening eyes to the world outside to encourage conservation of the ocean, keeping with a mission to entertain, educate and inspire stewardship of the natural environment. As part of a mission to educate and inspire stewardship of the natural environment, the Aquarium offers numerous educational programs to engage students of all ages to protect and restore our blue planet. The Carol J. & Barney Barnett Learning Center Through a generous contribution from Carol J. & Barney Barnett, this groundbreaking learning center helps take marine and environmental science to the next level through active learning. The Center features a unique design spanning 5,000 square feet and features five flexible learning spaces centered around a circular common space. Each technology-rich learning space has a unique design that provides inspiration for learning.

Florida Museum of Photographic Art (FMoPA)

The FLORIDA MUSEUM of PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTS is a museum dedicated to exhibiting important photographic art as central to contemporary life and culture. FMoPA collects, preserves, and exhibits historic and contemporary works by nationally and internationally known photographic artists. FMoPA also enriches the community by operating outreach programs to educate children and adults.

Florida Studio Theatre

Florida Studio Theatre offers a variety of programs both during and after school. All programming is founded in FST’s proven theatre education methodology and integrates Florida Standards into innovative arts education. This season’s programs include the 3 show season of WRITE A PLAY, In-Class and After School Workshops, and ongoing classes at our downtown campus, individual schools, and community organizations.

Glazer Children’s Museum

Watch your students work as a team, problem solve, and learn during a Glazer Children’s Museum Field Trip! Enhance math, science, and literacy concepts through interactive play and exploration as a group. Students Pre K- Grade 8 can play with purpose in over 170 exhibits within 19 themed areas. Upgrade your day of play by booking a Premium or Ultimate Field Trip that includes our new cutting-edge, design-oriented Think Studios and/or a session in our innovative, motion-capture laboratory, SMALLab! Download our comprehensive Playbook for pricing, content, educator trainings, and more at GlazerMuseum.org/fieldtrips

Henry B. Plant Museum

The Henry B. Plant Museum interprets the Tampa Bay Hotel at the turn of the century; the Victorian lifestyles and history of America’s Gilded Age; the life and significant contributions of the visionary builder, steamship and railroad magnate Henry Bradley Plant in the development of Florida and Tampa Bay; and the role of the Hotel in the Spanish-American War. Through educational exhibits of original furnishings and artifacts and a dynamic docent-led tour, students are transported to the late Victorian period and immersed in the opulence of the Tampa Bay Hotel and its rich history. Read More

Jobsite Theater Education

Jobsite has worked with middle school, high school, and college-level student groups since our 2001 production of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged). Since then, we’ve grown from simply offering student groups of 10 or more substantially reduced rates and a post-show talk with the actors to a full program that has over 35 educational outreach events in the 2018-19 season that will reach over 2,500 middle and high schoolers with both Othello and a return run of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised]. In 2012, we began offering daytime matinees to school groups (Fahrenheit 451, Much Ado About Nothing). In 2016, we had a one-year partnership with both the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay and the Saunders Foundation that allowed us to double the number of those performances, reaching thousands, while getting over 500 of them into the theater at absolutely no cost. In 2017 we entered an arrangement with Hillsborough County Public Schools, the Arts Council of Hillsborough County, and the Straz Center/Patel Conservatory to become part of their Field Trips program. Most recently we offered Othello, The Tempest and 1984 to schools for weekday matinees in addition to our standard mainstage performance times. In 2020 we offer A Midsummer Night’s Dream to middle and high schools.

Lisa J. Michaels

A member of The Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators for the past sixteen years, I have professionally illustrated, edited, produced and published over a dozen children’s books which are currently available for purchasing on Amazon.com and in book stores across America. My work experience and education in art, illustration, writing and publishing has allowed me the ability and honor of teaching others what I have learned and worked hard to develop. I have conducted various arts programs for all ages, from elementary school drawing workshops, to sketching & painting classes for senior citizens. My expertise in cover design and book illustration has resulted in numerous awards, including the 2017 Gold Medal Florida Authors & Publishers Association Award, the Mom’s Choice Award, the 2014 Living Now Book Award, First Place in the Dragonfly Publishing, Inc. Contest, First Place in the ABC Children’s Picture Book Awards, etc. In 2017 I received grant funding to be a guest teacher for a computer/visual art class at Clearwater High School, and in 2014 I was invited as a guest teacher for a creative writing class at Tampa University. Both experiences were extremely rewarding, as I they presented unique opportunities to connect with seriously talented young artists and authors! Most recently, I have developed, produced and published three on-line, ongoing classes for children’s book writers through www.skillshare.com, entitled; “Writing a Picture Book”. Enrollment has exceeded 400 students and continues to grow daily. I created and sold works of art for the 2018 Gasparilla Poster Art Contest, and the 2018 Southeastern Guide Dog Competition of Tampa Bay. I am currently under contract to produce a ten book series of children’s picture books for “Little Mouse Press”, an imprint of Tolman Main Press, and I am in negotiations for the sale of my own book, “The Noisy Elevator”. As an author, I have appeared in several publications, including Atlantic Publishings, “How to Write and Publish a Successful Children’s Book” and “Write a Children’s Book – A Step by Step Guide…”. My participation and growth in publishing, critiquing, writers conferences and workshops, group leadership and mentoring have given me the education and experience to provide content editing and publishing services to other aspiring children’s book writers. My writing blog, “The Art of Picture Books” at www.theartofpicturebooks.com, lists the services I provide, as well as helpful information for anyone who dreams of writing for children.

Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI)

Tampa’s Museum of Science & Industry – we call it MOSI for short – is a scientific playground with more than 100 hands-on activities! See the stars in The Saunders Planetarium, explore another world in our NASA-funded Mission: Moonbase lunar colony and touch the future in Connectus. MOSI’s innovative exhibits urge you to ask questions and expand your mind. We show you how cool curiosity can be – there are no tests or quizzes here. We spark conversations about the world and the future among kids and their grandparents, between spouses, and with strangers. There’s no other place like it in Tampa Bay.

Rod Martinez

I give book talks at schools but also like to fire up the kids about literacy, books and writing in general. In an audience of a normal classroom one never knows if the next Stephen King is sitting there. I like to get the kids thinking and active on the thought of getting serious about the world of literary arts. BIO: Rod Martinez writes middle grade & young adult. Growing up on Marvel Comics and Twilight Zone, the inspiration was inevitable. After a challenge by his son to write a story about him and his friends “like the Goonies’ but based in Tampa”, his first novel “The Juniors” was picked up by a publisher – and the rest as they say – is history.

Spanish Lyric Theatre

Spanish Lyric Theatre is the premiere presenter of bilingual (Spanish and English) theatre throughout the Tampa Bay area. As the oldest community theatre and the only bilingual theatre in Tampa, Spanish Lyric Theatre is committed to excellence in all of its programs, bringing together theatre professionals and local volunteers to create and preserve Hispanic/Latino culture, deepening Latino heritage by way of the performing arts as a means to transcend language and cultural barriers and to provide professional, quality experiences in Hispanic and American musical theatre. Spanish Lyric Theatre is Tampa’s oldest non-profit 501(c)(3) theatre company celebrating its 60th season in 2019.

Tampa Baseball Museum at the Al Lopez House

The Tampa Baseball Museum at the Al Lopez House will be a home for celebration, preservation, and education of local baseball culture – from Little League to Major League, and everything in between, including: Factory, Inter-Social, Municipal, Cigar City, and Negro leagues. In this house, there’s a carefully preserved legacy. It’s a story of hope and triumph marked by original artifacts, proudly displayed for all to see. It is the actual childhood home of Al Lopez, Tampa’s first baseball player to make it to the major leagues and inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame.

Tampa Bay History Center

The History Center is a 60,000-square-foot museum focused on the history and heritage of Florida and the Tampa Bay region. From the earliest native peoples and Seminole Wars to the growth of transportation and industry, the History Center covers 12,000 years of Florida’s past. Students and guests can also traverse unknown seas with European explorers, ply the Florida coast alongside pirates and privateers, and dive to the ocean floor in search of long-lost fortunes in the History Center’s all-new Treasure Seekers: Conquistadors, Pirates and Shipwrecks gallery. The new “Treasure Seekers: Conquistadors, Pirates and Shipwrecks” Gallery at the Tampa Bay History Center From the infamous pirate Jack Rackham, to the hard-charging Teddy Roosevelt, the Tampa Bay History Center’s three floors of exhibits explore the stories and personalities from Florida’s past. Florida history exhibit themes include: Florida’s first peoples, early European explorers, Seminole Wars & Seminole culture, the founding of Tampa & Ybor City, industry & natural resources, sports & recreation, The civil rights movement in Tampa, pioneer Florida, and trans-Atlantic exploration. Read More

Tampa Museum of Art

The Tampa Museum of Art opened its award-winning new building in 2010 with a commitment to provide innovative public programs with a focus on ancient, modern, and contemporary art. The Museum balances a growing collection, including one of the largest Greek and Roman antiquities collections in the southeastern United States, with a dynamic annual schedule of special exhibitions. The region’s largest institution devoted to the art of our time, the Museum has fostered a reputation for presenting contemporary photography and new media; most notably, Leo Villareal’s Sky (Tampa), a 14,000-square-foot LED installation on its south façade, has become an iconic landmark for Tampa. Since its founding in 1979, the Museum has been dedicated to providing quality education to students and adults, with more than half of its programs offered free of charge. The Museum is home to Riverwalk Cafe at TMA, a Cafe featuring favorite local flavors overlooking the Hillsborough River, and has emerged as Tampa’s premier venue for special events.

The City of Tampa's Creative Arts Theatre Company

Creative Arts Theatre is the City of Tampa’s resident, professional theatre company for young audiences. A staff of 5 professional artists create and perform innovative theatre experiences, inspired by classic and contemporary children’s literature. Their mission is to encourage literacy throughout Hillsborough County through the magic of live performance. Each year, Creative Arts Theatre presents over 200 performances at community centers, libraries, and schools, reaching an audience of approximately 15,000 people annually. Over the past 50 years, they have performed for more than one million children and their families. Creative Arts Theatre Company is a proud member of Theatre for Young Audiences/USA. Creative Arts Theatre Company also offers camps and workshops for children throughout the year at the City’s community centers. Topics include acting, improvisation, musical theatre, puppet making, and storytelling.

The Franzini Family Science Circus

The Franzinis present gravity, inertia, circular motion and more through fun and dazzling circus skills. They also introduce astronomy before the hilarious finale. The Fabulous Franzinis have performed throughout the world and in hundreds of elementary schools from Florida to North Carolina. “Complex concepts in Science were explained through visual representations in an effective way to help children understand and remember. So simple and very effective!” — Mary Ann Ratliff, Hillsborough County Schools.

USF GraphicStudio

GraphicStudio is an ongoing experiment in art and education at the University of South Florida, where leading artists from around the world are invited to work in residence to produce limited edition prints and sculpture multiples. Faculty and staff of GraphicStudio collaborate with visiting artists to realize projects that would not otherwise be possible without the assistance of GraphicStudio’s printmaking and sculpture experts. Tours visit each aspect of GraphicStudio’s facility: the main gallery space, curating, lithography, and etching, view printmaking demonstrations in either lithography or etching, and each visitor receives a small sample of a print produced at GraphicStudio.

Ybor City Museum

The story told at the Ybor City Museum State Park begins in 1885, when Vicente Martinez-Ybor arrived to established Tampa’s renowned cigar Industry. From a small fishing village of 750 residents, the population grew quickly as Spaniards, Italians, Cubans, Romanian Jews and Germans, immigrated to Tampa to work in the cigar industry or to provide goods and services to these new residents. The museum tour includes exhibits on the cigar industry, Ybor City’s diverse immigrant population, the social clubs and mutual aid societies, cultural, political and social activities, a special exhibit entitled Traces of Cuba a recreated cigar-worker’s home and the Mediterranean-style garden.

zNew Educator Test

New Educator Test – Outside the Area believes that the arts are a pathway to building healthy minds, strong bodies, active learners and vibrant communities. We envision that school-aged youth will participate in an educational curriculum that promotes creative learning through cultural diversity and intellectual excellence. One of the three parts of the mission revolves around art education and to provide arts opportunities to members of the community. The resident activities offer a unique opportunity for students and community groups to interact with professional artists from all over the world. These activities provide a variety of educational opportunities and enhance appreciation for the arts in general. We are dedicated to increasing participation for the arts, deepen and broaden people’s experiences in the arts and to encourage creativity.

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